Still in Sicilia...

Action in Acitrezza

And so back to Acitrezza and hopefully a fully functioning fridge.  In the meantime the tiny harbour is host to a swordfish festival and we have front row seat courtesy of Salvo who insisted we are not to be moved… Grazie ancora!  Everyone seems to defer to Salvo and we are glad he has taken a shine to us J.

Etna making her presence known

Bramble trying Granite

Cooking up a storm

One of the many days we are in town we get caught in a thunderstorm and amidst the thunder and lightening I think I hear something else and joke that Etna is blowing her top… bizarrely as night falls and Acitrezza settles down for some serious partying, the cloud lifts and reveals Etna has indeed decided on a new southern cinder cone and it is currently in the process of gushing red hot lava and firing ejector down the hillside; an excellent backdrop to the gaudy lights of the festival.  Murray and I imagine this is what Pompeii must have been like with the town’s folk carrying on as usual while the mountain thinks of increasingly dire ways to expel the interlopers from its slopes.  Most surreal but everyone here is used to it and for the most part the natural light show is ignored in preference for more tangible earthly delights… no sleep on the wall tonight… 4am finishes are common in town and we have grown used to the nocturnal comings and goings of the younger set as they use the harbour as party central and besides it is a great way to learn the best chat up lines!

A very special marriage craft... there are weddings photographed here every day but this was something different...
it took over a month to paint this beautiful little boat and the happy couple seemed to have a fabulous time!

Laurel and Hardy (aka Stefano and Mario) finally turn up and, hamstrung by seasickness (there was a very slight swell on the very sheltered quay wall), once again wreak havoc on the good ship CC.  First they battle with the couplings and successfully strip the threads.  Next they bend and snap the pipe of the new evaporator (the second one sent from Germany – the first was obviously more urgently required elsewhere but no one is owning up as to where)… more cursing and swearing leads to an over gassed fridge again and finally they admit they have no way to test the finished result for leaks!  Porca miseria!!!  Poor Murray is horrified and only the possibility of a short swim in concrete boots prevents him from losing his rag… still the good news is the beer is cold now and the head office has promised to honour the “repairs” carried out should there be a problem.  It’s time to wave goodbye to Acitrezza (our home for nearly 2 weeks on and off!!) and head for Greece via Siracusa (and for those that are paying attention, yes that is in the opposite direction!!).

News Flash:

Another 2500 migrants inbound from Libya rescued in 24 hours

We see our first shark in the Med!!  A dead six gill approximately 2m long… da da, da da… fancy a swim anyone??!

 

Slight side trip to Siracusa

We really wanted to get down to Marina di Ragusa and check out the overwintering options but due to more “Italian issues” there are now no cars available so we settle for enjoy the delights of Siracusa for a few days.  This marvellous old Greek town (Ostigia) was once the most happening place in the Med and it is still full of character and bustling with people.  Its narrow streets provide a cornucopia of delights and every corner reveals something new… like most Greek towns it has grown organically and despite the potential for getting lost, it somehow has an innate order to it that takes you where you need to be every time. 
The anchorage is great; nearly totally enclosed it provides excellent all-round protection and a good sticky bottom insures you are going nowhere fast.  We will be back.

More news:

Another 1000 migrants rescued off Lampadusa

The Mayor of Venice (amongst others) is arrested on corruption and bribery chargers over the troubled flood protection barrier.  The “parallel accounts” are found to be written on edible paper!

Another 2000 migrants collected up.  Some turn up in Siracusa courtesy of the coastguard… an unimaginable number are attempting the crossing this year and many are not succeeding.

Sicilia has decided to cancel summer this year… their events budget of €2 million has evaporated down to 207,000€ which apparently is not even enough for toilet paper!

Anyway we really need to head to Greece now as we have commitments over there and time is wasting so we up anchor and make the most of a beam reach and slingshot across to Capo Spartivento on the continent.  It’s a good if slightly rolly anchorage so we still choose to rocket along the coast to Rocella the next day.  The winds are being kind to us at the moment so we want to make the most of it.   Rocella is a nice marina, if a bit haphazard… supposedly mafia operated it depends on how much they like you as to what reception you receive but the pizza is excellent and Gianni who runs the bike hire is a sweetheart.  Bramble enjoys her first bike ride and we eat ½ a metre of woodfired scrumptiousness.
 

 

Next stop Capo Rizzuto; and interesting place but the people are not as friendly in this neck of the woods and there is a strange rundown feel to the whole place.  The Mezzogiorno is definitely the poorer end of Italia.

 We continue towards Crotone and stop off Capo Colonne.  As we are preparing the BBQ we are approached by the Guardia di Finanza… they are all very jolly and after a brief chat leave us to our meal and the ministrations of the next Guardia di Finanza boat??  The next group of officials say we can’t anchor where we are but when we point out that the last boat was OK with it not 10 minutes before, they are suddenly all smiles and leave us in peace as well… go figure??  Maybe they assumed we paid the last lot??

This is not an aspiring coastline despite a lot of history onshore but at least some of the anchorages are OK, however, there is nothing that really piques our interest so we continue to chug north to Leuca.  There is a lot of radio chatter this morning.  Maydays being issued left right and centre and people start getting het up that the mayday vessel(s?) doesn’t seem to be able to transmit its position.  Even the Greece coastguard loses his rag and tells everyone to “shut the f&%k up”… very poor form!
Leuca Marina turns out to be even more unfriendly than previous places (and very rolly) so despite being an interesting Art Deco town topped off with the fantastic Mussolini’s triumphal steps we are more than really to sail across to Greece tomorrow.

Viva l’italia ma Γεια σας Ελλάδα!